american – Violate And Control

One of the great joys of music is the surprise. There’s a constant flow of new releases, and every so often, you get blown away by certain releases. This can have numerous reasons, but in the case of american, it’s the ferocity and heaviness that stuck with me. Believe me when I say I have listened to some heavy shit, and this release is way up there.

The first indication that this is a great release is right there when you see the label : Sentient Ruin. These last years, these guys have been digging up all the gold from the underground, and american has been on their roster for the past 3 releases. So, fantastic label, check. let’s talk music now. american makes a blend of industrial, black metal, noise, some sludge, maybe a little core. Now, imagine the nastiest possible version of all those genres, put that in a blender, and then cover it in a thick layer of tar. There you go. american. There’s no way to really express how nasty this music is. It drags you down in this maelstrom of violence, slowly strangling you, until you unknowingly gasp for the last time. Plus, for some reason, it’s addictive. I keep coming back to it, I keep giving in to the madness. I’m not even sure I want to.

american are a duo, with a drumcomputer as a partner in crime. There’s no real info about them, only that MB has done the compositions and JG was the lyricist. There is no doubt this is a very fruitful partnership, since they seem to be on the same page for the full duration of this album. Everything is nasty, dirty, loud, and beyond fucked up. It’s a record that happens to you, it does things, and nothing will be the same afterwards.

My favourite track is Bedsheet Ossuary. I think this album is best ingested as a whole, since it’s way more effective that way, but if I had to choose one song, it would be this. Ferocious, hardhitting, a little emotion that comes through the darkness. Lovely. There are no youtube links at this time, so check out their Bandcamp instead!

If you want the musical equivalent of heroin, here you go. It’s equally harrowing, addictive and depressing. But in the best possible way. american have created a body of work here that has haunted me since I first listened to it. It keeps calling me, dragging me back in, and I love it. Give these guys a chance, they thoroughly deserve it. Aural armageddon has arrived.